Who was Herbert von Karajan? What lurks behind the enigmatic face of this man, on whom more has been written than on any other member of his profession? For many, he was the epitome of classical music, for others the embodiment of the music market. He was the last dictator among orchestral conductors, and the first successful large-scale music entrepreneur. And in everything he did, he was ahead of his time. This documentary is the first to truly penetrate behind Karajan’s regal façade. The program is structured along the personal recollections and interviews, the rehearsals and concerts of the maestro. Much of the material has been drawn from the archives of Unitel, the firm that produced his music films for 12 years. This footage is supplemented by many candid and revealing comments by some of the men and women who accompanied him on his path to legendary status. The result is a multi-faceted, multi-layered portrait of the artist – a portrait that ultimately deepens the mystery of one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.
Wiener Blut
Shortly after Strauss’ death, Adolf Müller Jr. compiled one of the most famous Strauss operettas from motifs from the waltz Wiener Blut (1873) and other works, which continues to carry the magic of Vienna out into the world. Nikolaus Habjan stages the piece at the magical and intimate Schönbrunn Palace Theatre as an imaginative, fast-paced romp. “Staged with charming verve and plenty of wit” (Kleine Zeitung) “By taking the emotions depicted seriously, director Habjan gets everything right when it comes to the eternally difficult subject of operetta. Love, jealousy, vanity and hurt feelings are always relevant” (Die Presse). “Staged with charming verve and plenty of wit”
(Kleine Zeitung)
Cagliostro – Johann Strauss in the Circus Tent
Combining pop, musical theatre and circus spectacle, author Thomas Brezina and composer Johnny Bertl have created a new musical performance based on motifs from Strauss’ operetta Cagliostro in Vienna. In the big top of the famous circus Roncalli, daring acrobatic acts meet famous Strauss melodies to tell the story of the magician and con man Caglistro. A unique experience for the whole family that “succeeds in transferring the entertainment value of a Strauss operetta to the present day” (Salzburger Nachrichten). “When circus and operetta come together, a new piece of Viennese cultural history is the result” (Kurier)
Bregenz Festival 2024: Der Freischütz
A “small theatre miracle” unfolds at the Bregenz Festival under Philipp Stölzl’s direction, featuring a visually stunning production of Der Freischütz with elements like a dilapidated village and water zombies. Conducted by Enrique Mazzola, the Wiener Symphoniker performs Weber’s music beautifully, while the ensemble shines, particularly Nikola Hillebrand as Agathe and Mauro Peter as Max. Moritz von Treuenfels adds flair as the devil Samiel, guiding the audience through the action with agility and charm, resulting in a captivating two-hour performance.
Salzburg Festival 2022: Suor Angelica
In Suor Angelica the perspective has narrowed to the tragic fate of a single figure, the young nun Angelica. Banished to the convent for an indiscretion, she leads a joyless existence and waits for news of her son, whom she has been forbidden to see since his birth. When she learns that he has died, she resolves to put an end to her life. The climax of the opera is an extended monologue lasting 20 minutes in which Angelica works through her doubts as a devout Catholic and frees herself from her feelings of guilt and remorse. In a redemptive ending she finally transcends all her pain and escapes her agony. With a radiant finale Puccini opens up a path for her into the spheres of celestial paradise. “Overwhelming” Opernwelt
Salzburg Festival 2022: Il Tabarro
In Il tabarro (‘The Cloak’), surrounded by the decaying miasma of the river Seine, we have arrived in purgatory on earth. Puccini sets the piece in the present day, in Paris, in a realistic, Simenon-like milieu of stevedores, drinkers, and whores. In an oppressive atmosphere of hopelessness a love triangle arises between Giorgetta, her husband – the barge owner Michele – and his stevedore Luigi. Giorgetta is a woman with a history: she’s a mother who has lost a child and whose marriage is on the verge of breakdown. She starts an affair with Luigi, which gives her a momentary escape from the bleakness of her everyday life… Il tabarro fathoms the entire unremitting darkness of human existence. “Grigorian’s final scene, which milks the unexpected poignancy of her simply changing in front of us from her habit into a sleek black cocktail dress and letting down her hair, is just as wrenching.” The New York Times
Salzburg Festival 2022: Gianni Schicchi
In Gianni Schicchi, with its playful levity, peals of unbounded, strident laughter ring out – albeit of the kind that can only be heard in hell. We are in Florence, in the house of Buoso Donati, who has just died. Once the will has been found, his assembled kinsfolk – degenerate aristocrats – discover they have been deprived of their inheritance. After initial reluctance they bring themselves to seek assistance from an unpopular newcomer, the cunning Gianni Schicchi. He sets to work, ruthlessly turning the situation to his own advantage – not for nothing does he rage through Dante’s Inferno as a kind of sinister poltergeist. “Great opera cinema!”
Kronenzeitung
Il barbiere di Siviglia
“Il barbiere di Siviglia” is commonly considered as Gioachino Rossini’s masterpiece. It premiered in Rome in 1816, ever since it has been one of the most popular and successful works in the world of opera. For his new production at the Vienna State Opera, the director Herbert Fritsch has created a colourful slapstick party” (Der Standard) and assembled a gifted and dedicated ensemble of excellent vocal quality and marvelous acting skills, with Bel canto star Juan Diego Flórez as Conte Almaviva, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya as Rosina and Étienne Dupuis as Figaro. Rossini specialist Michele Mariotti sweeps the Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper into lusty playing.
Bregenz Festival 2022: Madama Butterfly
Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, one of the most played operas today, was staged on the Seebühne for the first time. Enrique Mazzola, who was also responsible for the Rigoletto production, leads “the Wiener Symphoniker to a beguiling string sound and a flexibility that is so important for Puccini” (Der Tagesspiegel). Director Andreas Homoki, who is the artistic director of the Opernhaus Zürich, and his internationally renowned team use Michael Levine’s magical stage set with its subtle landscape paintings to bring Japanese flair to Lake Constance. Barno Ismatullaeva’s performance as Cio-Cio-San “is simply world class!” (Online Merker). “Rightly a standing ovation ended the multiple dramatic evening.” (Neue Musikzeitung)
Bregenz Festival 2019: Rigoletto
Bregenz Festival staged for the first time Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto – compelling, blood-curdling and beautiful. The stage and film director Philipp Stölzl (Medicus & Goethe), known for his successful productions in Salzburg as well as for his music videos for Madonna or for the German band Rammstein, created a spectacular setting on the world’s largest stage on a lake, praised by critics as a unique technological masterpiece. The staggering show has attracted not only 200,000 visitors to 20 sold out performances but also close to 2 million TV-viewers in Germany, Austria and Swiss alone. “This Rigoletto on Lake Constance becomes a Hollywood spectacle.” (Handelsblatt); “The performance of the three main characters has been outstanding.” (Der Standard)